Marsa Regatta 2012

In September 2012 Steve and Pat Morgan went to Malta for 2 weeks. We were met by Dominic and Claudette Spencer with their children, this time we stayed in Sliema as it was nearer Marsa, we did not hire a car at first as the area was so busy as the hotel was right on the sea front so we had the most marvellous sea view and could see the entrance to the grand harbour and from the top of the hotel had a panoramic view of Valletta. One evening there was the most speculator storm and we stood in the room and watched the lightening and the rain- it was we found out after a really bad storm for them. The local feast (when the saint is paraded around the town) had to be cancelled as it was too wet for safety .We hired a car the next day and got caught in another tremendous storm which did cause damage to some areas of the island- the rest of our time we had beautiful weather but apparently September can have heavy rain.

Dominic and Claudette have now got a holiday place at Bahar ic-caghaq which is an official caravan park so we spent many cooler evenings enjoying their hospitality and enjoying the peace and hearing the sea. We also met with the Deputy Mayor and his wife dear friends Francis and Carmen and we also managed to catch up with other friends as well.

The high light of this visit was the Marsa regatta which took place on 8th September 2012 and was special this year as it celebrated Malta being given the George Cross for all their courage in the 2nd World War. Dominic and Claudette are supporters of the Marsa Regatta club and in fact Claudette (with Dominic’s help) made a huge flag of the Maras’s colours which was hung on one of the Valetta bastions.

We were shown around the Marsa boat house to see all the preparation by Dominic and the Marsa Regatta secretary Mr Antonio Bartolo who then took us to the trophy room where among the many cups we found the Bridgwater Cup which we presented several years ago and also signed the Visitors book. We also met many of the race /club officials in their very smart polo shirts Later we were taken to the VIP area on the Valletta waterfront where we were undercover with seats, snacks and soft drinks. We had a prime view of the harbour and the finishing line also the area where all the boats were taken out of the water and weighed. We saw men racing who we have met on previous visits and some of Marsa Scouts were taking part. Later the American Ambassador came with Parliamentary secretaries and sat near us and later we had a conversation with the secretaries when Steve was presented with a very beautiful Mdina glass plate with all the colours of the teams taking part and inscribed to commemorate our visit, Steve also received the official polo shirt.

To find the regatta site type in a search engine or Facebook - Klabb Marsa Regatta